AR

A bit of analysis from TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested this week that Apple's 2020 collection of iPhone devices could use ToF sensors on their backs. But wait, you might be saying, isn't Apple going to bring the rounded-corner circle of cameras to the iPhone in the year 2019? You'd be right about that amalgamation of cameras, more than likely, but the ToF (Time of Flight) sensor is apparently not going to be in the mix this year at all.

This next generation in mobile 3D scanning hardware was revealed today by the folks at Occipital. They've shown the Occipital Structure Sensor Mark II, a device that's 50% smaller than their previous sensor, with a whole lot more power and precision. This new unit has a new set of custom optics, an onboard IMU, a new depth processing chip, and a new ultra-wide vision camera. All of this rolls with compatibility for iOS devices - with an eye for your iPad, more than likely.

Niantic Labs' third smartphone-based AR game didn't exactly bring in as many players or revenue as Pokemon GO but the Harry Potter franchise still has enough fans to get the game by at least by word of mouth. That could be giving developers at Microsoft-owned Mojang some anxiety over their own still upcoming title. To whet Minecraft fans' appetite and, at the same time, publicize the game, Microsoft is dropping a few more tidbits about how Minecraft Earth will play out once the the Closed Beta rolls out next month.

If you found yourself playing Pokemon GO today with one task, then another task re-set not long after you checked the first, you are not alone! A number of players reported today that the tasks they'd been assigned in the morning hours in the early week this week (first week of July) were re-set, seemingly randomly. For once, the most interesting news of the Tuesday doesn't center on Eevee!

OEMs and especially network operators are buzzing about 5G but not many of them talk about the practical use of the new technology apart from insanely fast downloads and lag-free streaming. 5G, in theory, enables new experiences not possible on mobile before but also requires newer technologies to keep up with the demand. At MWC Shanghai 2019, Vivo is showing off its 5G play which includes AR glasses to take advantage of those speeds, 120W charging to keep phones powered on, and a 5G phone at the center of it all.

It could be Niantic Labs' biggest hit or it could replace Ingress as its most forgettable. One thing Harry Potter: Wizards Unite isn't is slow. Although the AR game developer never really gave a timeline other than "soon", it has just announced the expansion of the game to more-real world countries, bringing the total to 144 more countries just over the weekend. That's definitely a lot faster than Pokemon GO.

The world will soon be an even more crowded place. In addition to exotic matter (XM) and various species of Pokemon, it will soon be filled with Slimes, Creepers, and all sorts of creatures. That is the world stage that Niantic Labs will be launching its new game on this Friday. But unlike Pokemon and even more than Ingress, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite might be launching to a bigger and more receptive fanbase, raising the stakes even higher for the company.

The game-making company Sensible Object was acquired by Niantic, as announced by the companies this morning. Niantic is the company that was once part of Google, coming from Google Maps and landing in a separate company under Alphabet called Niantic Labs. They made Pokemon GO and Ingress and they'll soon have a Harry Potter game using the same engine. Now they're readying their business to explode in size once more by acquiring a team called Sensible Object - now re-named Niantic London!

In the wake of Pokemon GO, it seems that everyone wants a slice of the augmented reality pie. Just a couple of weeks ago, Microsoft and Mojang announced Minecraft Earth as part of the 10th anniversary of Minecraft, and now Square Enix is following suit. Over the weekend, the company announced Dragon Quest Walk in Japan, which is an augmented reality game based around the long-running Dragon Quest series.

Oculus and Vive may be competing head to head in the VR space but, outside of those two, not much else is happening with other companies. Google has not mentioned Daydream even once at I/O last month and OEMs that have made the first batch of Windows Mixed Reality headsets have mostly fallen silent as well. Despite that, Samsung isn't yet calling it quits and suggests multiple AR and VR products are coming this year, whether you like it or not.

Computer makers, platform developers, and even Facebook have all been gushing over XR, that new term that embraces virtual, augmented, and mixed reality but many if not all of them have mostly the high-end market in mind. Considering the prohibitive cost of components, few have made their technologies and hardware easily within reach of consumers. At MWC earlier this year, Chinese startup nreal promised a ready to wear and affordable mixed reality headset and it's now making good on that promise with the nreal light.

There's a cool headset capable of both AR and VR, and Qualcomm's at the helm. They've created this "Qualcomm Snapdragon Smart Viewer Reference Design" as a sort of guide for other manufacturers to make their own, to sell to you. As such, you probably won't be using this headset specifically, but the resulting headsets made by brands you've heard of before. Cross your fingers for soon.